I've been looking at swapping in a manual too. The AOD to T-56 swap should be pretty similar to this article. Some of their fancy stuff could be replaced with lesser items or junkyard parts, but it's still not gonna be cheap. As far as clearance goes, I haven't read anything about any serious issues. Mainly cutting tabs off the transmission case and bashing headers and exhaust a bit, depending on the setup.
I have bbk shorties in mine and they work great. Had to do a little massaging on the column shift linkage but nothing major. Can't say much for the power improvement since I installed them with my new engine, but they didn't have much effect on the exhaust note.
Not sure how much introduction it needs. :D July 18-20th at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. It's always a good time. They're advertising 6000 cars this year, plus a lot of events and vendors to check out. I haven't been able to go for the last couple years and I can't wait to go this year. Anyone else going? My bird will probably be parked in my usual spot behind the dyno. I'll make sure to get plenty of pics to share.
Came across this pic in a random search today. There wasn't much description with it, just that it's running a twin turbo 460 pushing 1200+ hp. It's one of the wildest fox birds I've ever seen, even if there's not much fox left. Just wondering if anyone here has any more info or pics.
I had 18s on mine for a while, 235/40 up front. A little scrubbing at full lock but nothing major. They were pretty high offset wheels though, I think with a lower offset they would be fine, even with taller sidewalls.
No problems at all with my 17" '07 bullitts with 235/55s
I know of a few birds and one cougar up here, but most are beat to death. The cougar is the only one I do see on the road, it's in rough shape but sounds pretty strong. Minnesota winters aren't kind to these cars. I'm still amazed how clean mine is, other than some speckled surface rust underneath it's completely solid.
The problem with fox birds/cats is that, other than us enthusiasts, nobody sees them as anything other than parts cars and s steel. The Mustangs get all the nostalgia and the drag guys like the Fairmonts and LTDs, so our cars slip through the cracks and get forgotten about. By the time everyone else catches on, all the birds and cats will be gone.
I got lucky with my Town Car too. I bought it for 750 bucks from a lady who just needed the money. It's a little rough, but I couldn't find another panther anywhere for under 1000 in anywhere near the condition mine is in. For a winter beater, it doesn't get more luxurious.
IIRC, we used SN95 lowering springs all around on my 87, lowered it 3 inches in front and 2 in the rear so it has a nice rake. The ride definitely stiffened up, but it's still fairly comfortable even on long trips, and the stiffer springs and new shocks sure help in the handling department.
It's not a bird or a cat, but it's still a nice truck! Are these based on the same chassis as the Xterra? My buddy has an xterra, and it's surprisingly capable off road.
Thanks guys. Besides the engine, the 5 lug conversion and the brakes that came with it are my favorite upgrade. Much better wheel selection, and the brakes are a huge improvement over stock. Cobra brakes are in the cards someday, but for now I'm happy with standard GT brakes.
Here's a shot of the gauges, just mocked into place for now.
The back panel is just some spare acrylic sheet I had laying around, painted to match the gauge bezels. It looks lighter in photos, but the black is pretty close to the gauges. The gauges are VDO Vision series, they have a nice 80s sports car look and they're pretty cheap too. I put LED bulbs in them which lights them up way better than the old incandescents. The tiny LEDs I used for indicators are super bright, too bright maybe, but they work well. I forgot to get a pic of everything lit up, I'll put one up tomorrow.
It's been a long time since I've posted here, but I figured it's time for an update:
Last summer the starter got hungry and decided to eat the flex plate. Apparently the previous owner replaced the starter at some point, and used some random junk bolts to hold it in place. They loosened over time enough for the starter to grind on the flex plate, and eventually the teeth become so worn that it wouldn't engage at all.
Since good driving weather was coming to an end, and I was already pulling the tranny out anyways, I figured it was the perfect time to tear out the tired, 200k mile original engine and stick something a little nicer between the fenders. So out went the old wheezy 5.0, and in came a new 5.0 from a '96 Explorer. The Exploder motor is a great starting point, with all the goodies from GT40 H.O mustang engines but generally a much more pampered life. The new engine is proof of that, it's amazingly clean inside. It has 120k miles on it, but you wouldn't know it had half of that looking at the condition of it.
The engine is basically all stock inside, other than swapping the lazy expo cam for something a little more appropriate, a Trick Flow Stage 1 cam and springs. I've heard nothing but good things about it, and so far I'm impressed. It really wakes up the old girl. Besides the cam, I installed a set of BBK shorty headers, an Edelbrock Performer 289 intake manifold, and an Edelbrock 600cfm carb. Why carbed instead of EFI? Because I was tired of having a hood scoop that doesn't do anything . Actually, because I like the simplicity and tuneability of carbs, plus they look better than the 5.0 efi setup and offer a little more power for the same money. I put on a set of ebay sheet metal valve covers because they were really cheap and add a bit of flash to the engine bay.
Besides the engine swap, I also installed a B&M shift kit and a 2500RPM torque converter. And to keep a better eye on the new engine, I made up a new gauge panel with a full set of VDO Vision gauges. And that's basically it. The car looks the same as it did 2 1/2 years ago when I first posted here. It's still rust free, and after a trip to the exhaust shop it'll be by daily driver again.
And now some new pics. Sorry for the quality, but they're all I have on my computer. Once I get her on the road again I'll get some prettier pictures.
(never mind the messy plug wires, they're only temporary)
I'm finishing up the engine swap in my '87 and I noticed my front turn signals aren't working, but the rear turn signals and the headlights and marker lights work just fine. Does anyone know what color the wires are that run to the front turn signals, and any connectors they run through? I also made a new gauge panel and I'm using small LEDs as turn signal indicators. I wouldn't think those would make a difference, would they?
My scoop is an aftermarket srt-10 style scoop for a late model dodge ram. It fits the shape of the hood pretty well with no modification. Mine is steel but i've seen fiberglass versions too. (sorry for the py pic)
this is what it looks like on the truck, for reference:
. Then maybe they'll pay some attention to these cars.
. Actually, because I like the simplicity and tuneability of carbs, plus they look better than the 5.0 efi setup and offer a little more power for the same money. I put on a set of ebay sheet metal valve covers because they were really cheap and add a bit of flash to the engine bay.
